Undergraduate Admissions Advisor
International history allows us to see how societies interacted with, influenced and learned from one another, and how developments that appear distinctively national often formed part of wider processes. That is one of the great strengths of studying history at LSE.
What is your field of history?
I am a historian of twentieth-century intelligence, internment, and political violence. This means I am interested in how states identify and respond to perceived threats, how they classify and manage individuals in moments of crisis, and what those practices reveal about the societies that produce them. These are also the themes that my first book, Interrogating Nazism, examines. Looking at the system of interrogation Britain developed during and immediately after the Second World War, it explores how British intelligence agencies interrogated tens of thousands of people in order to understand morale, ideology, complicity and political behaviour more broadly.
Why are you interested in this subject?
Intelligence fascinates me because it tells us a great deal about how states understood threats and enemies. Intelligence sources can give us both a macro-level view of political assumptions and decision making as well as remarkably intimate glimpses of individuals’ attitudes; the movement between the two scales is something I find particularly interesting. One of the things I value about teaching international history at LSE is precisely this ability to connect large political developments with the people who experienced them.
Why is it important to take an international perspective in studying history?
There are several reasons, all of which relate to developing a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the world. National histories are important but when studied in isolation they can reproduce national myths and narratives of exceptionalism. International history allows us to see how societies interacted with, influenced, and learned from one another, and how developments that appear distinctively national often formed part of wider processes. That is one of the great strengths of studying history at LSE. Our courses encourage students to move across national boundaries, compare different parts of the world, and think about connections between states and societies rather than treating countries as self-contained units. We also encourage language learning, because languages allow us to encounter other societies through their own sources and categories.
What should a prospective student in International History at the LSE be reading?
It is much less about identifying specific books and much more about developing curiosity about learning and thinking about how we know what we think we know. So read widely: history, journalism, politics, memoirs and literature, and read about societies beyond the ones you already know best. Also visit museums and exhibitions, and if you already live near London then take advantage of LSE’s excellent public events programme.
How can prospective students get in touch with you?
They are welcome to write to me at a.photiadou@lse.ac.uk.
You can also directly.